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Agenda Item
23-0546 Adoption by the Board of Education of Resolution No. 2223-0185 - Classified Employees Reduction in Force Due to Lack of Funds and/or Lack of Work (2023/24 Fiscal Year)
I am commenting to stand with BOP and the community to fight back against tonight’s proposed cuts. Cutting these positions will be stealing from the students and school sites that you have already historically disinvested in. Oakland students and families have been fighting for more mental health resources, Restorative Justice practitioners, essential school safety positions and more and these happen to be the same positions that are up for cut tonight. You can not pit the community against each other and make us fight for crumbs. You have an obligation as community representatives to act and vote in the interest of your constituents. Do what needs to be done and vote against these cuts. Remain true to your commitments to the community and vote in support of initiatives that are a true reflection of this community, such as BOP’s People’s Budget in June.
Good evening my name is Talmera Richardson and I am in Oakland native have been for many years, I’m a resident of district 7. I’m standing in solidarity with all of our leaders who are apart of the George Floyd Resolution. As we all know George Floyd was murdered by police officers for no other reason whatsoever but for being unapologetic black! That being said when this resolution was passed to be adopted to the OUSD schools as well as other services such as RJ, Black Reparations, and other services that I may not be privy to. However our Black and Brown students are being treated as if they don’t matter! Most of our students make up the population of our OUSD schools! Meaning for every student that is in attendance OUSD receives $$$$$ Make it make sense? Tell the truth are cutting jobs due to other plans the district has for the money? Once there are cutbacks our schools and students suffer! I will deliberately pull my children out of OUSD if these individuals and resources are cut!
I hope you've had time to fully review the Classified Employees Reductions spreadsheet. It's so sad to see 66 filled SEIU positions being eliminated (if voted in). That's 7% of SEIU members who work in OUSD!!! Those eliminations are after reconciling the adjustments, and do not even include the other impactful reductions mentioned. Most of these positions are at school sites that directly impact students. I'm highly concerned for students to be missing out on key services and sad for our members who face unemployment. If Early Literacy is a major initiative of the District's Strategic Plan, how do you justify eliminating 12 Early Literacy Tutors? If "prioritizing student academic success and employee retention" is a focus, why are 9 Restorative Justice Facilitators being eliminated, among many other integral school site based positions that put students first? Please vote NO on the Classified Employees Reductions.
This list of staff reductions represents an attack on SPED, RJ, early literacy, and other services supporting OUSD's most vulnerable students, and thus must be understood as an attack on those students themselves. I would hope that the new "progressive" board majority sees this for what it is: austerity at full tilt.
I see cuts of school-site staff and limited cuts of central office staff. As a parent, I strongly believe that on-site personnel offering direct services to students are essential to helping students thrive. Please reconsider your priorities and involve the community in this process.
I am commenting to stand with BOP and the community to fight back against tonight’s proposed cuts. Cutting these positions will be stealing from the students and school sites that you have already historically disinvested in. Oakland students and families have been fighting for more mental health resources, Restorative Justice practitioners, essential school safety positions and more and these happen to be the same positions that are up for cut tonight. You can not pit the community against each other and make us fight for crumbs. You have an obligation as community representatives to act and vote in the interest of your constituents. Do what needs to be done and vote against these cuts. Remain true to your commitments to the community and vote in support of initiatives that are a true reflection of this community, such as BOP’s People’s Budget in June.
Good evening my name is Talmera Richardson and I am in Oakland native have been for many years, I’m a resident of district 7. I’m standing in solidarity with all of our leaders who are apart of the George Floyd Resolution. As we all know George Floyd was murdered by police officers for no other reason whatsoever but for being unapologetic black! That being said when this resolution was passed to be adopted to the OUSD schools as well as other services such as RJ, Black Reparations, and other services that I may not be privy to. However our Black and Brown students are being treated as if they don’t matter! Most of our students make up the population of our OUSD schools! Meaning for every student that is in attendance OUSD receives $$$$$ Make it make sense? Tell the truth are cutting jobs due to other plans the district has for the money? Once there are cutbacks our schools and students suffer! I will deliberately pull my children out of OUSD if these individuals and resources are cut!
I oppose the elimination of these positions.
Where is the part were central administration is been cut why its Only the Students and teachers that have to suffer
I urge you to vote NO; do not cut vital support staff from schools. The schools need more support staff, not less!
I hope you've had time to fully review the Classified Employees Reductions spreadsheet. It's so sad to see 66 filled SEIU positions being eliminated (if voted in). That's 7% of SEIU members who work in OUSD!!! Those eliminations are after reconciling the adjustments, and do not even include the other impactful reductions mentioned. Most of these positions are at school sites that directly impact students. I'm highly concerned for students to be missing out on key services and sad for our members who face unemployment. If Early Literacy is a major initiative of the District's Strategic Plan, how do you justify eliminating 12 Early Literacy Tutors? If "prioritizing student academic success and employee retention" is a focus, why are 9 Restorative Justice Facilitators being eliminated, among many other integral school site based positions that put students first? Please vote NO on the Classified Employees Reductions.
This list of staff reductions represents an attack on SPED, RJ, early literacy, and other services supporting OUSD's most vulnerable students, and thus must be understood as an attack on those students themselves. I would hope that the new "progressive" board majority sees this for what it is: austerity at full tilt.
I see cuts of school-site staff and limited cuts of central office staff. As a parent, I strongly believe that on-site personnel offering direct services to students are essential to helping students thrive. Please reconsider your priorities and involve the community in this process.